Comfort and Joy: A Novel

India Knight Fig Tree

From the first page, you’ll be hooked into this hilarious and seasonal novel. As a reader, you can empathise with Clara, the main character. It’s 23rd December, and she’s running around doing last minute shopping on Oxford Street, trying to make the perfect Christmas. After a telling dinner party, in which everyone seems to have some sort of awakening and massive revelation, Clara’s life changes once again.

The book explores some of those deep-seated inner feelings that most of us try to keep at bay. Are we happy with our lives? Why does everyone else’s life look so perfect from the outside? What if I did this instead of that? There are several poignant moments in the book, as Clara’s life dramas unfold, you can see your own.

Written with humour, care and attention, Knight understands the beauty of realistic dialogue, which keeps the pages turning. She also does wonders with the internal monologue. Dissecting the meaning of love between spouses, siblings, children and parents, it’s a tender and earnest story. With the run up to Christmas upon us, it’s a perfect read or an even better stocking filler.

Shirley Stevenson

Aesthetica Magazine

This article was originally published in Issue 38 of Aesthetica Magazine.